When murder strikes the small town of Tallulah Falls, embroidery shop owner Marcy Singer isn’t afraid of getting into the knitty-gritty to clear her own name…

For most small-business owners in Tallulah Falls, the upcoming Renaissance Faire is a wonderful way to promote their specialty shops. For Marcy’s nemesis, Nellie, and her sister Clara, it’s an opportunity to finally put Marcy and her shop, the Seven-Year Stitch, out of business. Apparently the sisters like to keep their grudges all in the family and have set up a competing booth right next to Marcy’s at the Faire.
When Clara is discovered dead in her own booth—strangled by the scarf she had almost finished knitting—Marcy becomes the prime suspect. Now she has to do whatever it takes to keep her reputation from unraveling and get to the bottom of a most deadly yarn…

About This Author

Gayle Trent (writing as Amanda Lee) writes the embroidery mystery series. The series features a heroine who recently moved to the Oregon coast to open an embroidery specialty shop. Marcy Singer left her home in San Francisco, along with the humiliation of being left at the altar, in order to move to Tallulah Falls and realize her dream of owning her own shop. She takes along her faithful companion, a one-year-old Irish wolfhound named Angus O’Ruff. She makes many new friends in Tallulah Falls, but she also makes a few enemies. Thankfully, her best friend Sadie MacKenzie and her husband Blake run the coffeehouse right down the street from Marcy’s shop, the Seven-Year Stitch; and Detective Ted Nash always has her back. Gayle/Amanda lives in Virginia when she’s not inhabiting the fictional world of Tallulah Falls.

I love bunnies. Our
family once had a white lop-eared rabbit named Bun. I bought Bun from
an Amish boy who was selling rabbits at a local farmers’ market.
I’d left my purse in the car and had asked him to hold the white
bunny for me until I returned. When I came back with my money, the
child took the rabbit from his pocket and handed it to me. I
immediately fell in love with the bunny—and with the child. I
wanted to take both home, but my husband would only let me take the
rabbit I’d bought. He refused to be an accessory to kidnapping.
Spoil sport. Anyway, Bun was wonderful. We could let the rabbit out
into the backyard and then call him when we were ready to go inside.
So Clover is loosely based on Bun. In the book, Angus the Irish
wolfhound loves Clover and the feeling is mutual.

I
attended a Renaissance festival with my family in northeast
Tennessee several years ago.

My young son was
knighted Sir Scooby of Doo by the Queen because he was wearing a
Scooby Doo shirt. She knighted him with a plunger. This was
immediately after the human chess game. There was an English
professor at the fair who was dressed as William Shakespeare. There
was also a falconer and a man who played music on water glasses. We
had a fun day, and I want to go back to a Renaissance Faire,
especially after writing Wicked
Stitch
and getting so immersed in the research.

Another
reason I chose the Renaissance Faire theme for Wicked
Stitch
is because I’m loving the show Reign.

Have you seen Reign?
I know it really stretches historic credibility—for one thing, the
real Frances died during the first year he was married to Mary—but
the show has never claimed to be a documentary. I love the costumes!
And the romance! And the suspense! But I wish they’d bring back
Nostradamus. I miss him.

After
doing so much research on Nellie Davis’s shop, Scentsibilities, I
have really gotten into essential oils.

Some of my favorites
are the thieves blend, peace and calming, and a roll-on essential oil
blend for stress release. And, of course, lavender is so nice when
you need to relax and get some sleep.

I
once had my mother-in-law make me an Elizabethan gown to wear to a
book signing on Halloween.

I need to see if I
can find it and determine if it’s in suitable condition to wear to
a Wicked
Stitch
signing. Wouldn’t that be fun? I also had the French hood that I
made myself. It actually turned out well. My gown was made of dark
green velvet, and it was beautiful but very heavy! So what about you?
Do you like playing dress-up?

I haven't read any of Amanda Lee's books yet. She is a new author for me to read. Just from her Facebook page, I like her already! She seems just goofy enough to keep me grinning. I'm sure I will like her books.

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